Tag: Mathew Berry

The Novice by Jean-Paul Sartre, Almeida Theatre, 6 May 2000

Very good indeed,

I wrote, and no doubt it was. A fine cast, led by Jamie Glover, Natasha Little & Kenneth Cranham, directed by Richard Eyre, doing Sartre. Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry for this play/production.

Nicholas de Jongh wrote highly of it:

Novice de Jongh StandardNovice de Jongh Standard 11 May 2000, Thu Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Kate Bassett in the Telegraph also liked it:

Novice Bassett TelegraphNovice Bassett Telegraph 12 May 2000, Fri The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

But on this occasion, our friend, Michael Billington, disagreed with us, comparing The Novice unfavourably with a play at the Royal Court, Mr Kolpert, which we did not see, despite going to the theatre an infeasible number of times that May.

Novice Billington GuardianNovice Billington Guardian 13 May 2000, Sat The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Celebration & The Room by Harold Pinter, Almeida Theatre, 22 April 2000

Very good indeed

That was my log note for this memorable evening of theatre.

Celebration was a brand new play. The Room a revival of Pinter’s first. Harold himself directing as well as writing – not always a brilliant idea but Harold could pull that trick off.

What a cast! Keith Allen, Andy de la Tour, Lindsay Duncan, Steven Pacey, Indira Varma, Lia Williams, Danny Dyer, Nina Raine, Henry Woolf, George Harris and others. Theatricalia holds chapter and verse on the cast lists etc.:

Charles Spencer in The Telegraph hated the evening:

24 Mar 2000, Fri The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Nicholas de Jongh in The Standard really liked it:

Celebration de Jongh StandardCelebration de Jongh Standard 23 Mar 2000, Thu Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

My friend, Michael Billington, agreed with us, giving it a rave review:

Celebration Billington GuardianCelebration Billington Guardian 23 Mar 2000, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

We didn’t dine out after this one. But we did go to Michael & Elisabeth (& Xenia) for lunch the next day.

Bash by Neil LaBute, Almeida Theatre, 29 January 2000

This production blew us away. It was shocking and also intensely gripping drama.

We trusted the Almeida in those days, so we booked a preview of this one, “on spec”, although we were unfamiliar with Neil LaBute’s work and also unfamiliar with the imported cast and director.

We were right to trust!

Bash is a collection of short plays, rather than “a play”. All were excellent in our view. The last one was the most shocking, but all were shocking in their own way. Brilliantly well acted by Mary McCormack, Zeljko Ivanek & Matthew Lillard. Joe Mantello directed. Here is the Theatricalia entry for this production.

I’m pretty sure the critics tended to be with us in admiring this one. Let’s see.

Yup, Nicholas de Jongh in The Standard waxed lyrical:

Bash deJongh StandardBash deJongh Standard 03 Feb 2000, Thu Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer in The Telegraph admired the writing and performances but hated the plays:

Bash Spencer TelegraphBash Spencer Telegraph 04 Feb 2000, Fri The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Our fried, Michael Billington, in the Guardian absolutely got it:

Bash Billington GuardianBash Billington Guardian 03 Feb 2000, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

One of those utterly unforgettable nights at the theatre that makes us want to go back for more!